All Ed wanted to do was read some goddamn alchemy books. How was he supposed to know how big of a mistake that would be?

It started with him and Al trying to get into a section of the library that, for some stupid reason, was restricted. Only state alchemists had access, and they wouldn't make an exception no matter how much Ed needed in, needed access to texts that just might help him fix his mistake. As he began making a fuss (and Al tried to calm him down), a man came up behind them flashing a pocket watch. "Sorry about the confusion," he smiled politely. "They're with me." The employee looked skeptical, but nodded and moved to let them in anyway.

Edward turned to the man, gaping slightly. He was a state alchemist. Why the hell would he lie to let them into a restricted area? He didn't even know them, for fuck's sake. He asked the man as much.

He chuckled awkwardly in response, a hand moving to scratch the back of his neck. "Ah, curiosity, mostly. I was wondering what someone so young would want with restricted alchemy materials." Ed was about to retort angrily about how he was not that young, thank you, but the man must have seen his anger on his face as he continued speaking, hands raised placatingly. "Not that that's a bad thing, of course! It's nice to see someone your age so eager to learn, especially something as difficult as alchemy. You must be quite intelligent."

Edward preened under the praise. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad, after all. "I'm trying to study for the state alchemist exam, but I gotta make sure I stand out. I can't do that with just the stuff I can find easily!"

"You're an ambitious young man, huh? It's a good trait to have." He placed a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Hey, why don't I help you out some, hm? You're more than welcome to stay at my place if you have nowhere else to go, and you can feel free to use all the books and notes you want."

Edward blinked. That…sounded awesome. It sounded too good to be true. "Why would you do that? Not that it doesn't sound nice, but what the hell would you have to gain from that?"

The man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I can't say it's entirely for selfless reasons. The truth is, I have a daughter, Nina. I've been so busy with work I've barely been able to spend time with her. Ever since her mother left us, she's been quite lonely. I was hoping you might be willing to keep her company while you're there, when you have the chance."

Well, Ed couldn't turn down a dad trying to do better for his kid. He was at least trying, which already made him a better father than…well.

The point was, he seemed like a decent guy, just wanting to be better. And Ed could sympathize with his daughter. He could entertain a kid for a bit in between studying, and Al would be able to spend even more time doing so without the state alchemy exam to study for. What the hell, why not? "Alright. We'll do it."

The man smiled, slumping slightly, as if a whole bunch of tension just left his body. "That's a relief. Thank you." He motioned for them to follow him. "We could go there now, if you're not too busy?"

Ed nodded his assent, trailing after the man with Al behind him. "Oh, I just realized. I never did introduce myself, did I?" He turned his head to look at them as they walked, smiling sheepishly.

"My name's Shou Tucker. What's yours?"

He thought he'd made a good decision.

Tucker had so many books that Edward would never have gotten his hands on otherwise. And the trade off of spending time with Nina didn't feel like he was giving anything up, either, despite what equivalent exchange would dictate. She was sweet, and he found himself enjoying whenever she and Al insisted he'd been buried in a book for too long and needed a break, pulling him outside to play with her and her cat, Alexander.

He thought that maybe this was the kind of life he should've had in the first place.

He was looking around the house for Tucker, to ask a question he had on the book he was reading that neither he nor Al could figure out, when he found himself standing in front of it. The door to the basement. Tucker had emphasized that they shouldn't go down there - he did all his alchemy work down there anyway so Nina couldn't get into it, though he wanted to be extra sure no one accidentally messed anything up. He had to submit a report of all his research soon - all state alchemists did - and if he couldn't produce something substantial enough by the deadline, he'd lose his state alchemist certification.

Edward sympathized, but it looked like he'd have to break Tucker's rule. He needed an answer before he could move on with studying. Besides, Ed could be careful if he wanted to. He'd be sure not to fuck up any of his research. He opened the basement door and took the first step down the stairs.

"Hello? Mr. Tucker?" he called out. "Sorry to bother you, but I needed to ask you something!" There was no response. He walked further down, until he was all the way in the basement.

It was filled with cages of animals that didn't look like anything he'd ever seen. Or rather, things he'd seen but never together like they were now. It was like bits of animals were combined with other animals.

Chimeras.

He'd never seen one before. It was no wonder Tucker was having trouble producing results if he was focusing on chimera research; it wasn't a field that had made much progress.

"Mr. Tucker? Hey, are you in here?" he called again. He saw no sign of the man so far, but he had no idea where else he could be.

An open book filled with handwritten notes caught his eye. Tucker's research. Maybe something in there would help answer his question. Or better yet, could help him figure out a way to get his and Al's bodies back. Chimeras were obviously different, but it was biological alchemy. There could be something useful.

Even if there wasn't, he couldn't stifle his curiosity. Chimeras were such an unknown part of alchemy. He couldn't resist taking a look at the notes. He made his way over to the book, eagerly looking inside. His eyes ran over the page it was currently open to, skimming over the contents.

He felt his heart drop to his stomach.

This wasn't just normal chimera work, not that something like that was particularly normal in the first place. This was human transmutation he was planning. Using his own daughter and her cat. A spike of adrenaline suddenly coursing through his veins, he flipped back through the pages, desperately needing to know what else the man had done.

Holy shit. This wasn't even the first time he'd done this. He transmuted his own fucking wife, who was then so miserable she apparently killed herself. Ed felt like throwing up. He would've never guessed he was staying in the home of a monster like this.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. "I see you've ignored my rule, Edward," Tucker said. "I'm disappointed, but not surprised."

Edward spun around to glare at him, gritting his teeth. "What the hell have you been doing? What's wrong with you? Your wife, your daughter…how could you do that to either of them?"

"Oh, as if you're one to talk," he responded, strangely calm. "Don't think I haven't noticed you and your brother's… situation, for lack of a better word. I'm not the only one here who's performed human transmutation before." A small smirk made its way onto his face. "We're not as different as you'd like to think."

Ed recoiled, as if physically struck. "That was different!" he insisted. "That's- we didn't- we just-!"

"Is it?" he questioned. "We both committed human transmutation, did we not? Does the reasoning behind it really matter?" He sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. You do understand that I can't let you leave like this, right?"

Edward's blood ran cold, but he put on a brave face. "Yeah? I'd like to see you try and stop me."

"Oh, Edward." A small smile. "I already have."

Ed raised his hands to transmute, but Tucker was too close, too fast. A needle made its way into his neck and he gasped, hand reaching for the puncture wound. While he was distracted, Tucker grabbed him forcefully, pushing him to the ground and pinning his arms behind his back. Edward kicked and struggled, but Tucker held firm. "Now, now, Edward, settle down," he said, as if scolding a small child or a dog. "This should only take a few minutes to kick in."

"What the hell did you do to me? What the hell are you going to do?" Ed demanded angrily.

"Well, you don't like the sound of me using Nina in my little experiments, right?" He could practically hear the smile in the man's voice. His blood turned to ice in his veins as the man uttered his next words.

"Why don't you help me out instead?"

Edward came to, feeling strangely light. He couldn't remember falling unconscious in the first place. As he regained his bearings, a quick glance down at himself explained the sudden lightness.

The fucker removed his arm and leg. He couldn't get away now. He was well and truly fucked.

The bastard had also bound his remaining arm with rope to his back, to prevent him from creating any alchemy circles. He'd clearly taken every precaution he could think of. Ed wasn't sure how he'd get out of this in one piece.

"Ah, you're awake. And just in time," came Tucker's voice. "I'm just about ready." As he said that, he put the finishing touches on one of the most complicated alchemy circles Ed had ever seen. An unsettling smile grew across the man's face. "Perfect."

He set his chalk down, making his way over to Ed. Tucker grabbed him by the collar, dragging him uncaringly to the circle. He then walked over to a cage where Ed saw Alexander inside, opening it and picking the cat up. He returned to the circle, placing the animal down.

"Aren't you excited, Edward?" the man asked. "Someone like you should be able to see just how fascinating work like this is." Ed wanted to bite back with a scathing reply, but he didn't have the chance.

Tucker placed his hands on the circle and it began to glow.